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Indonesia and the Leopard: Decisions, Decisions

I’ll just be straight here. Indonesia wants to buy 100 Main Battle Tanks (MBT), the Leopard 2A6, from Holland. How awesome is that? Yes, that’s the buzz we Indonesians are dealing with right now, deciding whether to buy a legion of Leopard 2A6s, the so-called best tank in the world, from our ex-colonists or not. Another notable thing is that these MBTs are used tanks. Yeah, you heard me, USED. They’re selling us used tanks. I kinda like where this is going. If only Indonesia had a knack for conquering others, we might as well take the offer.

Why? Let me explain. The economy in Europe is not going well, which forces Holland to sell their military assets. If, and I say IF, Indonesia could be more bent on power, then this is a good time to take revenge upon our colonists. Buy their military assets, leave them defenseless, and strike at the right time. There, we’ve got ourselves a war.

Okay, time to stop thinking like a psychopath. Now, it’s time for us to think the awesome way.
The first question that needs to be answered is: is it urgent for Indonesia to have an MBT? A quick answer from any military geek is YES. Indonesia’s army only has light and medium tanks, which can’t possibly match a Leopard in terms of strength. So, based on that reason alone, the MBT is urgent and we need to have it.

Others who agree will say that buying the tanks will help stimulate Indonesia’s weapon industry. So, they’re planning on using the MBTs as a reference to build Indonesia’s own brand of MBT. That’s a good idea. Now, if only we had the money and researchers to do so…

But, it’s not only about power. Mobility is an issue here too. What’s the point of having a juggernaut if it can’t even move? This brings us to a geographical analysis of Indonesia’s terrain, which is mostly elevated land and mountains. Well, we have guerilla warfare for that and a tank can’t possibly climb a mountain. So, the only place that the tanks will be used is on flat terrain or cities.

Now, I’m not sure how an MBT will maneuver through a city like Jakarta. If it demolishes on the go, then that’s not a problem. But, at the right choke points (as I’ve seen in Modern Warfare 3), an MBT can be paralyzed by a rigged skyscraper falling right on top of it. Jakarta, unfortunately, has a lot of tall buildings that can serve that purpose. So, an MBT in urban warfare might not be that good.

Next geographical analysis: Indonesia’s an archipelago. Yes, Einstein, it means that we have more water than land. So, what’s the point of having a bunch of tanks? I don’t know, maybe we should just buy submarines or battleships? Then, if Indonesia were to buy 100 MBTs, then how will we spread them out? Java gets the most, while smaller islands get one? Makes sense, since Java is the most important island. However, if that’s the case, then it’s pure stupidity. Enemies will just conquer smaller islands (because they are less defended) and build bases to surround Java, preparing for an all-out attack.

I forgot to mention that Indonesian streets cannot withstand the sheer weight of a Leopard, which weighs around 62 tons. It’ll be hilarious to see tanks trapped in giant craters.

Here’s another interesting thing to consider: if Indonesia do buy the Leopards, wouldn’t it cause an arms race in ASEAN? Remember the security dilemma. Before we know it, a war might just occur in ASEAN, which is not what Indonesia wants since we have a strict “Zero-Enemy” policy.

Needless to say, I’m pretty much stuck in the middle. Yes, we do need more firepower, but MBTs? We might need to do more research and calculations regarding this situation before we actually buy MBTs. Have an awesome day and stay awesome!